It is no secret in the field of eating disorder treatment that there is a strong correlation between trauma and eating disorders. Some individuals develop an eating disorder as a way to cope with the pain of unresolved trauma, particularly the trauma of abuse. October...

On a sunny Sunday afternoon in Manhattan Beach, California, when I was four years old, I was spending a glorious day with my family at the beach. I loved building sandcastles, burying my Dad in the sand, and dancing up and down in the waves, trying to outrun them. I...

Stress. Just hearing the word makes your muscles tense up. We all know that stress is a part of life. You cannot completely eliminate stress from your life (unless you live in a bubble), but you may be able to limit it – it’s how you manage stress that matters....

Last year, while traveling in Greece with my husband for our wedding anniversary, we happened upon the little island of Spinalonga, a former leper colony. This tiny island is accessible only by boat, and while from 1903-1957, no one stepped foot on the island aside...

With New Year resolution making mentality in the air, I find myself revisiting some reflections from a few years ago. Letting Go When All You Want To Do Is Hold On, was a post I penned in January, 2014; it received 2,000+ hits. While that may not be much to some of...

Thanksgiving Day. A day where, around the globe we collectively pause to reflect, to acknowledge, to celebrate, to practice gratitude. As your day winds down you may wonder, is it the tryptophan in the turkey that is causing me to feel calmer and more at peace? Maybe....

When I was in the third grade in Southern California, I rode the bus to school, along with my older brother. For some reason, this kid named Mike decided to start teasing me. I really don’t know why he targeted me, but he decided I was easy prey. Maybe because I...

Nothing says I love you like a friend who is willing to tell you the truth. Even if it stings a little. Rewind to about a month ago. I was having coffee with a friend, willing the caffeine and conversation to give me the energy I needed to push through my unending...

Not long ago I was in a meeting with some well-educated people, brainstorming ways to create an appealing message to capture the interest of those seeking recovery. I suggested incorporating the word “hope” into our messaging. Someone shot back, “No – hope has...

As I write this, I am sitting in the waiting room. Literally. My husband is having surgery today. While it is apparently a fairly common procedure in the surgical world, he has been nervous about it. I think the urgency with which his surgeon felt it needed to be...